Silver Titans
by CodenameLolo
Summary: Five years after they disbanded, the Teen Titans - though no longer teens - must reunite to fight a new evil in Jump City.
1. Calling All Titans

Prologue: Calling All Titans

_Attention! Calling all Titans! All Titan members please listen! If you can hear this, please return to Jump City! We've been overrun by crime! WE NEED YOU! If you can help us please report to the Cyberwave Industry HQ building.__ Calling all Titans!_

A young woman stood on a grey hillside, practicing the new spells she had learned. She was currently in the dimension Kalazeth – she had been travelling the dimensions ever since the disbandment of the Teen Titans five years ago. Her long, navy purple hair flowed gently in the wind, her blue eyes were strained in concentration. "Kalazeth Metranas Ezelforeth Kamanan Terivoid ZINTHOS!" she recited, a black light surrounding her grey skin. Her hair blew wildly around her as the magic worked its way through her body and became tangible.

The magic disappeared with a "poof" as one of the pockets on her belt began buzzing, a pocket in which the contents had been dormant for over five years. Her Titan Communicator was buzzing. She took it out of her pocket and looked at it. Her eyebrows puckered as she opened it; the distress signal button was blinking a purple color (the purple was her own color as far as the team went; orange for Starfire, blue for Cyborg, red for Nightwing, and green for BeastBoy). Her eyes widened. The signal had to have come from Titan Tower, the codes weren't anywhere else. Subconsciously, she sat cross-legged and began levitating. She then pressed the button, allowing the message to play:

Raven, now 22, closed her communicator and put it back in the case-pocket. She then began meditating, chanting, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos...Carazon Rakashas Enderez...Vaserix Endrien Azararth...Jump City!" A black portal opened up and she stepped through it, and the portal took her to the entrance of Jump City.

He was standing on the top of a building, tracking a villain he'd been after for months. It was dark and silent, so he was being very careful not to make and sounds. He narrowed his masked eyes on the target. It was of utmost importance that –

Nightwing jumped as a buzz went through his pocket. He fell backwards, onto his butt. The villain heard and bolted from the scene. Nightwing growled. "This had better be damn important," he muttered under his breath. He pulled out his old Titan Communicator. The distress button was flashing red. He listened to the message and sighed. It seemed that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't abandon his old life. She would have gotten the same message… she would be there. And now he had to face the music.

There wasn't much that he could do with his life other than mess around with technology. He'd always had a fascination with tech, but when he became half-robot, it turned from fascination to real life. He'd had to learn how to live a whole new way. He would always be glad he'd had the Titans to help.

Cyborg was in his workshop, working on a new project for his company, CyTech. After the Titans disbanded five years ago, he hadn't really known what to do with his life. He'd decided to stick with what he knew: technology. And so he had built CyTech. The products ranged from household appliances to home security to virus protection. Sure, he had become rich. But money could never replace his friends.

A blue light began flashing, along with a buzzing sound. Cyborg got up from his desk and walked over to a box that had his old things in it. His Titan communicator was sitting on top, which was the cause of the commotion. He smiled at the thought of returning home.

In a small candy shop, a tall red-head served people sweets. All day long she got to see people smiling about receiving chocolates and lollipops and cookies and other human sweets. She never got tired of seeing someone happy. She missed being completely happy.

It was just about closing time, so Starfire locked up her shop and went upstairs to her apartment. She'd never left Jump City. She'd wanted to stay close to her first Earth-home. To where she'd met her first love, who had been her first… everything.

No sooner had she reached her room than an orange light flashed, accompanied by the sound of vibration on wood. She went over to her nightstand and picked up her Titan communicator. It had been silent for five years. Five years with little to no contact with her friends. A message came with the distress signal. She listened and nodded to no one in particular. "I will leave in the first thing of the morning," she said, once again to no one. She still didn't quite have the grasp of English.

The forest was peaceful and serene where a green owl perched on top of a tall sequoia tree. It spread its wings and flew towards the cliffs, where a cave was hidden. As it reached the ledge where the cave sat, it morphed into a human form. His body took its original shape back, and he walked into his cave. He'd lived here for about a year, and before that he'd lived in another forest. It was all too easy to survive in the wild. There was no longer any challenge.

Since Beast Boy had defeated Slade, nothing seemed hard anymore. He'd taken down Robin's biggest rival, whom they had all tried to capture or kill for years before, in no longer than twenty minutes. He sighed, remembering the days when he would wake up to tofu waffles and Cyborg trying to get him to eat 'real' waffles. The days when Starfire's antics were a regular thing and did not faze the Titans at all. The days when Robin would obsess over Slade, and the days when Raven would blow everyone off to meditate or read. Those were the days.

As he wandered deeper into his home, he noticed a flashing green light. His eyebrows drew together as he walked over to where he kept his old keepsakes. His Titan Communicator was going off with the distress signal. His eyes widened, his heart began to race. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed Jump City until that moment. When he listened to the message, he quickly packed up all he cared about – a few things he'd picked up from the forest, his bag of keepsakes – and strapped them to his back. He morphed into a pterodactyl and flew off towards Jump City. Towards home.


	2. Titans Reunite

Starfire looked up at her old home. It was falling apart, in desperate need of repair. Hopefully Cyborg was coming, and he could fix it. She walked up to the door, expecting it to scan her and then slide open. When it didn't, she pushed the doors open, crushing the metal with a screeching noise. As she walked through the empty halls, her footsteps sending up dust clouds and making echoes off the walls, she recalled the wonderful times she had shared here with her friends. She could still hear Robin scolding Beast Boy for a prank he pulled on Raven; still hear Cyborg trying to get Beast Boy to eat real meat. Echoes of her laughter rang off the walls from over five years ago, from a joke that Beast Boy told her. Tears filled the Tamaranian's eyes. She was overwhelmed with a feeling of belonging; with a feeling of home.

She reached the living room that was on the top floor. Dust covered every inch of the floor and walls. The furniture that had once sat here was no more; in their place was simply emptiness. She walked down the hall on the left, to her old room. She pushed the door open and went inside. She collapsed in the middle of the floor, reducing herself to a puddle of tears.

* * *

Raven had arrived in the city not long after dawn. She had been wandering through the city to all the places she had gone to frequently while living in Jump City: the book store, her favorite coffee shop, the pizza place, the mall that Starfire had always tried to take her to. It all rang a small sadness in her, to know that she left it all behind. Sure, Jump City would never compare to the Astral Plains or Kogore; couldn't hope to match up to the Grand Temple of Zathia. But it was home. Since Azarath had been destroyed, it was all she had to call 'home'.

She now stood outside of the Tower. The doors had already been forced open – a sign that none of the electronics would work. She walked through the building, fazing through floors and ceilings, until she reached the living room. She could see footprints in the dust, so obviously fresh that someone was here. She could also hear a light sobbing sound, coming from the direction of the bedrooms.

_It would seem that I'm not the only one that's home_, she thought calmly. She walked to the kitchen and set down her small bag. She leaned on the counter and folded her hands, not sure what to do next.

* * *

Sand crunched under Nightwing's feet as he made his way up to the Tower. He could see that the door had been forced open – no doubt the work of Starfire. He wondered who else had arrived. He looked up at the Tower. It would need repairs. It might even be too much for Cyborg to handle. He frowned as he walked through the door, not entirely ready to face his past.

The stairs were dusty and very creaky. Nightwing sneezed as the dust reached his nostrils. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He had never expected that he would be called back to his past. He reached the top floor, where the living room and kitchen were.

He noticed the young woman in dark clothing almost immediately. His frown was replaced with a slight smile. "Raven?" his now-deeper voice asked. The smile was almost apparent in his voice. His smile became a little bigger when she turned to him. She smiled back and walked over to him. He dropped his bag and opened his arms.

They hugged for a moment, and then she said, "You grew."

"I hear time does that. You let your hair get long," he commented.

She smiled little bigger. "No scissors in the other dimensions. I only came back to this dimension for a few hours at a time every other year or so."

Nightwing's smile stayed put. "I like it."

* * *

The Tower that he had worked so hard to build might as well have been in ruins. Cyborg grimaced as he looked at the dilapidated building. All his hard work gone to waste; even the door was broken. He shook his head and entered the building.

He reached the top landing to see Robin and Raven – only they both looked different. Robin wore a new costume (no doubt that he had taken a new name, too), and Raven's hair reached to her waist. "Well this certainly is a surprise," he said. Both of his old teammates looked over at him and smiled.

"Cyborg, it's great to see you," Nightwing said.

"It's great to see you, too, Rob," Cyborg said with a grin.

"It's Nightwing now," he said.

"Nightwing… ominous," Raven commented. Cyborg nodded in agreement.

"Anyone else here?" Cyborg asked.

"Us three, and Starfire is around here somewhere," Raven answered. Both she and Cyborg could see the frown that Nightwing probably tried desperately to hide.

In the brief moment of silence, there was a large "THUMP" from the roof. The three Titans looked up, wondering what could have caused the sound.

* * *

Beast Boy grumbled as he noticed that he'd landed too hard. He really hoped he hadn't broken the tower any more than it already seemed to be. He stood up in his human form and looked out over the horizon, his back to the vast ocean. His nostrils took in the salt air that he had missed; his ears brought the rushing, bustling sounds of the city to him. Beast Boy smiled. There truly was no place like home.

As Beast Boy stumbled down the stairs from the roof, he heard the now-grown voices of his teammates. The tracking skills he'd learned in the wild told him that there were three people in the living room. He reached the bottom of the stairs, unstrapped his belongings from his back, and walked into the living room.

He saw the three people he had sensed: a tall, dark, somewhat-brooding figure – no doubt Robin – a classy-looking half-robot man – obviously Cyborg – and a violet-haired beauty, whom he had to assume was Raven. His old teammates stopped their conversation and looked over at him. "Hey, guys," he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"BB! Great to see you, man," Cyborg said with a grin. He went over to Beast Boy and they shared a man hug – the hug guys do where they somewhat high-five, hold it there and then slap each other on the back.

"Yeah, Beast Boy it's great to see you," Robin said.

* * *

Raven's eyes were filled with the sight of a tall, well-toned, green man. She couldn't believe how Beast Boy – 'Beast _Man_,' her mind corrected – had grown. She only then realized that, after Nightwing once again corrected someone on his new identity, she was the only one still quiet. She swallowed, looked into his emerald eyes and said, "Hello, Beast Boy."

Her breath stopped as Beast Boy looked her over. What was he looking for? Did he think she was someone else? Did he not recognize her? Had she changed that much?

"Raven?" he finally said. "Is that really you?"

"Really," she answered simply, not sure if her voice would betray her tension.

"You look…" Beast Boy began, probably trying to find the words of 'weird', 'stupid', or something of the like. "Amazing. I like your hair long."

Raven suppressed a blush. She had never been called 'amazing' before – at least not about her looks. She smiled a thank-you to Beast Boy. Then she heard the footsteps of the final Titan and sighed an internal sigh of relief for the distraction from her.

Starfire's eyes were tinged a slight red color – no doubt she had been crying – but she was smiling. "My wonderous friends!" she exclaimed as she entered the room. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nightwing tense up. It only then occurred to her that they hadn't come together. That meant that they had broken up.

The greetings for Starfire came again from all of them, Nightwing being the last. Starfire hugged each of them gently – she had finally learned to control her strength, is seemed. Beast Boy was about to say something, but he was interrupted by the sound of a sixth person.

"Hello?" called a feminine voice from the stairway. Raven tensed up even more than Nightwing had tensed up. She remembered that voice very well.


	3. Surprise Titan

Beast Boy looked over to the staircase, not sure what to expect. His heart stopped, and he held his breath. He hadn't heard that voice in years, and he certainly hadn't thought he'd ever hear it in the Tower again.

Terra had walked into the living room. Her once-long blonde hair was now shorter, just barely past her shoulders. "H-how's it going?" she stammered, pasting an awkward smile on her face.

"Terra…" Beast Boy whispered. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Its… good to see you all," Terra said, the awkward smile still on her face.

The Titans just stood there, frozen in shock. None of them had ever expected to see Terra again. Beast Boy's face showed no emotion.

"I guess this might come as some sort of shock… But I'd hoped you guys would forgive me. For, y'know, betraying you to Slade," she babbled. The Titans remained silent. "Please say something. I know I did the wrong thing, I don't know _why_ I did it, I just…"

Nightwing interrupter her, "We're just shocked to see you, is all, Terra. It's… good to see you, too."

"I'd use quite a few words but 'good' isn't one of them," Raven murmured. Terra's lips pressed together.

"Raven…" Beast Boy whispered in a warning tone.

"I deserved that," Terra said quickly.

Raven narrowed her eyes. "That wasn't nearly as much as you deserve," she said bitterly. She didn't really know why she was being so cold – sure, she hated Terra's guts, but this wasn't about her and Terra. She glanced over at Beast Boy. He was looking at the ground, avoiding everyone's eyes. Glancing over at the other Titans, she could see that everyone was staring at Beast Boy. No one said anything.

Finally, Beast Boy broke the silence. "That was uncalled for, Rae."

Raven clenched her fists. "If that's all she's going to apologize for, then she deserves worse."

Beast Boy looked Raven in the eyes. "Enough." She looked him up and down, noticing that his fists were clenched as well. She looked him in the eyes again. He really had grown into quite the man. He even stood up for himself now.

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Terra hadn't meant to cause trouble; she just wanted to make up for what she'd done. Her betrayal had been harsh, and she probably deserved everything Raven was dishing out to her. But what else was there to apologize for? That just didn't make sense to her.

Beast Boy looked amazing. He'd grown up in all the right places. And Terra couldn't have wanted him any more than she did now.

"Maybe we should split up and take a look around," Nightwing suggested. It was probably for the best.

* * *

Beast Boy walked alongside Cyborg. Their rooms were just down the hall from each other.

"What've you been up to, Cy?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, you know, building up a technologic empire. You?"

"Living in forests and mountains… places with lots of other animals. For training purposes. You look like you've been doing well."

"I've been taking care of myself. Missed you guys like hell, though."

"Yeah, I missed all of you, too. It's crazy, how much everyone changed. Especially…" Beast Boy looked over his shoulder in the direction that Raven had gone.

"Especially Raven, right?" Cyborg asked with an all-knowing smile.

Beast Boy suppressed a blush. "Well, yeah, her hair is long. And she doesn't have those long sleeves anymore. It's different."

"Yeah, I guess it is," Cyborg agreed. "Seeing Terra was unexpected."

Beast Boy looked down. "Yeah."

"You okay, BB?"

"I don't know how to react to it. I want to trust her, but I don't want to get hurt again. And…"

"And what?"

Beast Boy shook his head. He wouldn't say it out loud until he was sure what he felt.

* * *

Raven entered her room. All her furniture had stayed here – she hadn't really needed any of it where she went – with dust covers on them. She whisked off the dust covers, revealing her bed, bookcases, and vanity. She went into a drawer and pulled out her black silk sheets, then made her bed.

As she began looking through her books, there was a knock on her door. She opened it to find herself looking into the light blue eyes of Terra. She crossed her arms. "What?"

Terra fidgeted with a chain that was around her neck. "Raven… I don't want things to be bad between us. I came here to make amends and fix what I broke. Please, understand where I'm coming from. We can all be friends again," Terra pleaded as she looked Raven in the eyes.

Raven narrowed her eyes. "I have no interest in being your 'friend', Terra."

"But …"

Nightwing came over to the door. "We're going to Cyberwave Industries soon. Get ready to leave."

Terra followed after him, looking over her shoulder with a pleading look. Raven rolled her eyes and followed not far behind them.


	4. Cyberwave Industries

Cyberwave Industries' headquarters was a large building in the center of Jump City. As the six adult Titans approached the building, they were greeted by a young woman with her blonde hair in a bun and wire-rim glasses covering her eyes.

"Welcome to Cyberwave Industries," she greeted. "I can only assume that you are the infamous Teen Titans."

"Not so much 'teens' anymore," Nightwing commented.

The woman gave a sort of smile that indicated that she really didn't care. "Right this way, please. Mr. Cyber has been expecting you," she said as she led the way into the building and to the top floor. "Wait right here."

Raven looked around. The room was as white as an asylum and as cold as one of those walk-in freezers at Costco. The lower floors had smelled of steel and body odor, but on the top floor there was no smell. It was a very neutral room. There were four white chairs, one in each corner, and a white-metal-and-glass coffee table with stacks of "Cyberwave Industries Magazine" and "Jump! Power Weekly" on it.

The woman came back out and held the door open for the Titans.

The Titans filed into the office, with Nightwing in the front. Behind a large glass desk was a man probably in his late forties, early fifties. He sat with his elbows on the desk and his fingertips touching. His charcoal eyes locked on each of the Titans.

In a gruff, but quiet voice he said, "Welcome, Titans. I have been expecting you. My name is Xavier Cyber. I am the CEO of Cyberwave Industries. I took the liberty of taking over the city's technological stand point."

Nightwing held out his hand to Xavier. "I'm Nightwing-"

"Previous leader of the Teen Titans, martial arts specialist, first sidekick to the Batman. Yes, I know. Starfire, the Tamaranian princess, Cyborg the robot-man, Beast Boy the animal changeling, Raven the inter-dimensional half-demon, and Terra, the earth-girl. You are all quite famous. Though as of five years ago you officially disbanded and set out to your own personal destinations," he said, closing his eyes. "We see only now that your disbanding was a mistake. The reason I have called you here, Titans, is that crime has picked up again."

"Can't the police take care of a few petty criminals?" Nightwing asked.

"These are not 'petty' criminals. They are super villains."

Nightwing fell silent. He glanced at his teammates. They all seemed just as wary as he was – Couldn't Jump City take care of itself? – but they also seemed kind of eager, especially Terra. Nightwing was wary of her, as well, but she didn't seem like a threat at the moment.

Nightwing nodded, returning his attention to Xavier. "What is it you would like us to do exactly?"

* * *

Raven sighed as she returned to her room. To her, the entire exchange with Xavier had been a total waste of time. She didn't like the energy he gave off, either. He was hiding something; of that much she was sure. The question was, what was he hiding?

No sooner had Raven entered her room than she sensed a presence entering the Tower. She rushed to the living room just in time to see a portal open and spit out a teenage girl.

She was a little shorter than Raven, with long violet locks that fused into green at the ends. Her eyes were a similar green to that in her hair, and she had grey skin not unlike Raven's. She wore a green leotard with sleeves that went to her elbows, a dark grey cloak that closed with a green gem, and green ankle boots. There was a spot on her leotard that opened, on her chest, displaying a green chakra gem for all to see.

Raven grimaced.

* * *

Beast Boy blinked at the teenager that had materialized in front of the Titans. She looked a lot like Raven body-wise. The main differences were in the coloring of her uniform. Beast Boy watched as she looked around. Her eyes seemed to stop searching once she found Raven.

"Raven!" She squealed, grinning. Her burst of excitement caused the Tower to shake.

Raven's grimace remained. "Hello… Dove."

Nightwing raised an eyebrow at Raven. "Raven? Who is this?" he asked.

"This is Dove… my younger sister," Raven explained, her eyes closing. Dove grinned.

"Sister?" Nightwing asked, confusion on his voice.

"I didn't know you had siblings, Rae," Beast Boy added.

Raven nodded. "There are seven of us." Dove nodded eagerly in agreement.

Beast Boy was about to question her again, but Dove spoke up.

"Rae-Rae, I came to you so that you could train me!"

Raven's eyes snapped open. "I never said I'd train you."

"Pretty please? You know how important it is that we and our siblings control our powers."

"You should have been taught that when you were younger."

"Well, I wasn't. My mother took me all over the world!" she said, clapping and bouncing gleefully. A window shattered with every rebound into the air.

"Dove! Knock it off!" Raven scolded.

Dove stopped bouncing and looked down at the floor. Her lips pressed together.

Terra stepped forward. "You shouldn't treat you sister that way, Raven!"

Raven turned to Terra, a fearsome glow of hatred in her eyes. "I don't think you quite understand what would happen if my siblings or I were to lose control of their emotions. You, the Titans, everyone would cease to exist."

Terra stood her ground against Raven. "That doesn't make yelling at your sister right."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "We can't be as innocent as the full mortals. We are half of Darkness Incarnate. We can't all be as naïve as you are, Terra. We can't afford to_ forget_."

Raven left the room, with Dove scrambling after her. No one else dared to follow.


	5. ElectroJinx

A girl with long blonde hair sat on the roof of the old library. It was a sunny day, which she despised. The sun was too warm, too inviting. Too… normal. She scowled down at the civilians below her. Her blue eyes browsed the square, searching for her target. Sure, she had lived in Jump City since she was thirteen, but she still had to look for her target buildings when her employer sent her out. She kicked her legs back and forth, admiring her black, knee-high boots every time they came into her view.

The black and yellow headphones she wore sparked to life as her partner spoke to her. "EJ, why haven't you made any moves yet? Stop thinking about shopping and get to work," his whispery voice said.

She scowled. "I told you not to call me that. Only Pyraine was allowed to called me that, you dipwad," she snapped. "My name is ElectroJinx, get it? Got it? Good. Moving on." She could practically hear him rolling his eyes. She stood up. "Make it dark, Eclipse."

Her partner, Eclipse, sighed. ElectroJinx kept an eye on the light of the sun. She noticed it dimming as Eclipse's power kicked in. As the city's primary light source dimmed, she jumped off the roof and landed neatly. She approached the target, an owner-run electronics store. Her mission was the same as pretty much every day: steal the electrical force from non-Cyberwave supplied stores, homes, etcetera, and cause an override on all the electrical items in the target location.

'Not like I can override anything related to Cyberwave anyway,' she thought somewhat sulkily. 'It always manages to block me out.'

She kneeled in front of the small shop and bowed her head, focusing her power. She drained the shop of its electrical power first – it was her favorite part, since she got an energy boost from it. She absolutely hated the next part: overriding the electronics called for her sending out all the electrical power she had stored into each electronic in the store, causing them to break.

She stood up breathily. Before she knew it, Eclipse was helping her get back to their home, the United Evils Tower.

* * *

Raven sat in her room, hovering over her black-sheeted bed. After the commotion Dove had caused, she'd felt the need to cleanse her emotions. It would be her first meditation on Earth since around five years ago.

Though she had wanted to be alone, she'd allowed Dove to sit in her room.

"Keep quiet. Don't break my trance. Got it?" she'd ordered her younger sister.

"Yes ma'am! I just want to see how it's done correctly," Dove had assured her.

Raven took a deep breath in through her nose, held it in, then let is out slowly through her mouth. She let her mind drift as she repeated this action over and over. Soon she was alone in the middle of outer space. She focused her mind on healing the barriers that held back most of her emotional responses. She noticed that the barriers around Love and Anger were particularly weak. Anger due to Dove and Terra's interferences, but why love? Simply because she was with her family again? That had never been enough to weaken the barrier before.

She steered away from her thoughts, feeling them dragging her down to her body. She released the curiosity and floated back up into the stars. She was perfectly content in the solitude of the stars, but apparently someone else had different plans for her. Before she knew what was happening, her spirit was pulled into a portal.

When her spirit opened its eyes, she found herself on top of a mountain. There was an alter at the top. Dove was tied to it, yet she wasn't struggling. She seemed to be perfectly aware of what was happening, and she showed no signs of trying to fight her way out of the bonds. Three more figures appeared, all masked. One she recognized: Slade. The other two were strangers to her.

A voice she knew all too well spoke: "This is the future, prideful one."

Her spirit's eyes narrowed. "Trigon. I destroyed you. You shouldn't be able to speak to me."

"Destruction and banishment are separate effects, daughter. You've merely trapped me in a dimensional prison."

She turned around to find herself looking right into her father's eyes. There was a whisper on the wind:

'The Envious Bird will betray her sister

The prideful one can only watch

The destruction of the youngest girl

Will return the All-Powerful One

To His throne

Nothing can stop him…'

There seemed to be more to the prophetic whisper, but it was cut off by Raven being awakened back on Earth.

Raven lay flat on her back. Dove stood pressed against the wall nearest her door, cowering. Raven sat up, glaring at Dove. "What did you do?" she asked.

Dove shook her head. "I didn't do anything! All of a sudden you had four red eyes and then these black tentacles, like, started coming out of your robe. It was like Princess Clara's you-know-what from Drawn Together, but waaaaay scarier," she said, still pressed against the wall, but having no fear in her voice.

Raven's eyebrows puckered. Drawn Together? What the hell was that? She shook her head, debating silently if she should tell Dove about her vision. When she opened her eyes, she decided against it.

* * *

ElectroJinx sat in her room with the lights on, pulling energy from them. Since her room was connected to Eclipse's by a bathroom that was in the middle of the two rooms, she could hear him showering. She picked up her brush and pulled it through her long, straight blonde locks. She'd taken off her headset and her cloak, so she was just in her bandeau, skirt, and boots. As she breathed in, she pulled more power from her lights. They were the only electronics that weren't Cyberwave, and it was just for the purpose of replenishing her energy.

The water in Eclipse's shower shut off. A few minutes later, he walked into ElectroJinx's room, his lower body wrapped in a towel. "How're you feeling?" he asked bluntly.

"Better. It helps that X let me have these lamps," she answered.

He nodded and disappeared back into his room. "Don't take too long," she called after him, admiring his muscular back. "X wants us to call him."

Several minutes later, the duo sat on EJ's bed, awaiting the call from X. EJ couldn't deny that she was attracted to Eclipse – he had a hot body and a solid metalcore look going on with his hair and clothing. At this very moment, he was wearing black skinny jeans and a Falling In Reverse t-shirt – but she knew that she wouldn't do anything about it. Not unless he made the first move.

The flat screen TV on her black wall – her room had alternating black and yellow walls – lit up. A black 'X' filled up the picture, with a sound wave bar underneath it.

"Report," came the electronic voice from the other end of the call.

Eclipse shifted while EJ responded, "Mission was a success and the target was neutralized."

"Good." The tone of the computer almost sounded approving, but not entirely. "Soon there will be no places in Jump City without Cyberwave technology."

EJ rolled her eyes. "Why exactly do we care about Cyberwave taking over Jump City? What do we gain from it?" she asked. Eclipse threw her a panicked look, shocked that she had actually questioned their employer.

There was a silence on the other end. After what seemed like forever, X finally spoke. "You two have been patient. I suppose I can reward you with this small amount of insight: spyware, dear ElectroJinx. I've attached a spyware system in every electronic device that Cyberwave sells."

EJ's eyebrows drew together. What the hell did spying on every person in Jump City gain?

"Good work today. I expect the same success tomorrow," X said. The TV switched off, leaving the two super villains alone.

* * *

Nightwing frowned at the monitor. He'd been watching Cyborg try to fix it since they'd returned from seeing Mr. Cyber, which had been about five hours ago.

"I don't think this old junk is ever going to work again," Cyborg announced from inside the wall that the computer was attached to.

Nightwing's frown turned into a scowl. He saw movement from the corner of his eye. He looked over to see Raven walk into the room, hood pulled up, with Dove bouncing along behind her. If it were possible for clouds to follow a person around, Raven would have had a very impressive doom cloud looming over her head. As she got closer to him, he noticed that her eyes were bloodshot, her skin was just barely noticeably paler, and she had circles under her eyes that were just a little bit darker that her natural skin tone.

"I sent Terra and Starfire to get food," he said, not sure why Raven would care, aside from Terra not being in the Tower. He glanced at Dove. "They probably don't know what you like, Dove, so why don't you go join them?" he asked.

The green-eyed teen smiled brightly before fazing into a dark green portal in the ground that was probably being used to take her to the exact location of Star and Terra.

Nightwing returned his attention to Raven. "You okay? You don't look so good."

Raven met his gaze warily. "I'm just not used to… Earth," she murmured. He raised an eyebrow as she quickly looked away from him. He knew her well enough to know when she wasn't telling the whole truth, but he didn't push the issue.

"Maybe you can help BB do a damage check in the rooms upstairs," he suggested, returning his attention to the broken computer.

He didn't hear her go, but when he glanced back over, she was gone.

* * *

Beast Boy stood in the hallway upstairs. The ceiling was falling apart, the walls were crumbling, the floor was disgusting. Even living in the forests had been better than this. He jumped when he noticed Raven standing next to him.

"Rae, when did you get here?" he asked nervously.

"Just now. Nightwing sent me up to check out the damage."

Beast Boy stared at her. She looked and sounded so tired. He knew she'd kill him if he brought it up, though, so he left it alone.

"Amazing what five years can do to a place that never gets taken care of, huh?" he said, trying to make small talk.

Raven shrugged. "It could've been worse. Just look at the Aztec ruins in South America."

Beast Boy nodded. He had lived in a forest near there for a while. It was… creepy.

"Still. Crazy that Jump City still needs us. You'd think new heroes would've come," he commented.

"Maybe they didn't think the city needed saving," Raven responded. She pulled down her hood and fluffed out her hair. Beast Boy watched the beautiful, violet locks as they shone in a light coming through a crack in the ceiling.

"You let your hair grow it. It's nice," he commented bluntly, trying not to sound too interested.

A slight pink shade just barely marked Raven's skin. "Thank you. I would've cut it when I arrived here, but I'm used to having long hair now, so I figured I'd just leave it."

She still sounded tired, but she seemed to have just a fraction more life in her.

They walked down the hall, to the old training room. The computer was in total disrepair, the weights skewed around the room. The training mat had so many holes in it that it was a shock that there were any pieces left of it. Random parts of what Beast Boy assumed had been part of the sound system, computer, and other various electronics in the room were all over the floor, some hanging from the ceiling by their wires.

BB watched as Raven floated over the items that littered the floor. He followed after her, looking up at the ceiling, at the walls, basically everywhere but his feet. As he caught up to Raven, it only seemed natural that he would trip over something. Raven had been facing his direction, so she could have caught him, theoretically. However, she was paying more attention to the ceiling and walls as well.

They both ended up on the holey mat, Beast Boy on top of Raven.


	6. Damion

Raven blinked, unsure of what exactly had happened. One moment she was looking at the damage around the room, the next she was on the floor, with Beast Boy on top of her. Since she had blocked back her emotions, she could trust that she wouldn't be blushing… too furiously.

"Y-you oaf," she stammered, mustering up her best glare at him. Her glare was half-assed at best.

Beast Boy was blushing profusely. He stumbled up, then held out his hand for Raven. She took it and allowed him to help her up. The sound of chuckles came from the doorway. Raven looked over to see Nightwing and Cyborg standing there, holding back laughter. She knew she wasn't as… intimidating as she had been a few years ago, so she simply sighed and rolled her eyes at them.

"Did you want something?" she asked.

Nightwing cleared his throat and looked at her seriously. "I want you to go out into the city and search for any supers. We could use all the recruits we can get."

Raven nodded and flew off, fazing through the wall.

* * *

United Evils Tower was quiet. But that was to be expected. The only people that lived there full time were ElectroJinx and Eclipse. The rest of X's recruits were off on international business, mainly in Greece at the moment.

ElectroJinx stood in her skimpy pajamas – short shorts and an off-the-shoulder belly shirt – in the kitchen, rummaging around in the fridge for her home-made energy drinks. She finally found her last can and made a mental note to make some more. Eclipse was sitting at the counter behind her, eating a bowl of cereal.

"Think we'll have to do much today?" EJ asked lazily.

"Just the usual," Eclipse said in his 'I-don't-really-care' tone.

EJ sighed. Her job was so boring.

"The sooner we get it done, the sooner you can go and do something else," Eclipse said in response to her sigh.

"There's nothing fun to do in this city," she complained as she joined him at the counter.

Eclipse paused. "They say the Teen Titans are back," he said nonchalantly.

EJ raised an eyebrow at this. If the Teen Titans were in Jump City, she might actually get to use her combat skills.

Eclipse read her expression and frowned. "Don't go getting any ideas. We stay away from the Titans unless X says otherwise," he chastised.

EJ gave him a sarcastic smile. "Since when are you a stickler for the rules?"

Eclipse glared at her but said nothing.

* * *

Raven landed in front of what had been her favorite place in Jump City before she had left: the bookstore. She smiled to herself and went in. one of the older clerks stared at her as she walked to the historical section.

No sooner had she picked out a promising-looking book titled 'The Most Infamous Heroes in History' than she noticed she was not alone… and someone was staring at her. She looked around until she found the source of the stare: an attractive young man in his early twenties. He had dark hair and a medium skin tone. He had toned muscles, but wasn't like an overly muscular body builder. He looked to be about six foot two. His grey eyes held hers and seemed to glimmer with silver in the light. As he noticed her staring back at him, his lips parted to reveal a gorgeous, perfect smile.

After what seemed like an eternity, Raven regained her senses. She looked back at the book in her hands, then at another book on the shelf titled 'The Complete History of Magic, Vol. 1" and pulled that one off the shelf as well. She was so distracted in trying to select a book that she jumped when she heard a voice behind her.

"You couldn't possibly be the real Raven, could you?" a baritone voice asked from behind her.

Raven whirled around to find herself looking at the man that had been staring at her not too long ago. "Um… yes… I am. Who else could I be?" she stammered.

He smiled again, this one more apologetic. "You'd be surprised how many fake Titans there are in this city. It seems like everyone wants to dress up as a Teen Titan nowadays," he explained.

"That's a little odd," Raven commented.

The man nodded. "Well, I know who you are. My name is Damion," he said holding out his hand to her. She took his hand – which was warm compared to her own skin – and shook it. "This may seem forward, but would you like to get tea with me sometime? I know of a great place that has poetry slams on Wednesday nights and live music on Friday nights."

Raven smiled now. It sounded like exactly her kind of place. "That sounds good, actually. Sounds like this city finally got some good places besides the bookstore.

Damion returned her smile. "Indeed, they did."

* * *

Nightwing was pacing. Again. He'd been doing it all day, and quite frankly it made Terra nervous. She, Starfire and Dove had returned with food and other supplies a little over an hour ago, and even walking to the kitchen, Terra could feel the tension coming off of Nightwing. It was weird to be back in the Tower for her. She wanted to explore, go see her old room, but she felt like she should be sitting in one place not doing anything before she begged Nightwing to let her rejoin the team.

Finally, Nightwing stopped moving. His eyes – well, mask – fell on Terra's and his face changed to a look of confusion. "Did you need something, Terra?" he asked.

Terra swallowed. "Um. Not really. Just, um, sitting. Here," she stammered nervously.

Nightwing's confusion seemed to grow. "Well, okay then…" he mumbled as he went off in the direction of his room.

Terra breathed out as the tension fizzled out. She leaned her chin in her palm on the counter and lost herself in her thoughts.

She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there thinking, but after a while she heard someone open the pantry and plop on the stool next to her.

"You look glum," said a very happy voice that Terra now knew to identify as Dove.

Terra jumped a little, not really expecting to be spoken to. When she came back down to Earth, she replied, "Oh… not really. Just thinking about… things."

"What Raven said bothered you." It wasn't a question.

Terra blushed a little, thinking back to what Raven had said yesterday. "Oh. Um. A bit."

Dove blinked. "She really doesn't like you."

Terra grimaced. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know," she mumbled.

"She's a little jealous of you."

Terra gave Dove her full attention now. "What?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

Dove shrugged and slid off the stool, disappearing into the hallway that Nightwing had gone down.

As Terra sat there trying to figure out what Dove had meant, Beast Boy entered the room. When Terra noticed him, she grinned and waved at him. She heart sank when he glanced at her, rubbed his neck, and left through a broken window. She pressed her lips together and built up her nerve, then followed after him.

* * *

Beast Boy, who had been in bird-mode – a sparrow, to be exact – landed on the rocky shore of the Tower's island. This had once been his favorite spot in all of Jump City. It was quiet enough that you could think, but there was still background noise, which he enjoyed; just knowing that people were out there living their dreams without any inhibition.

He was staring at the horizon when Terra landed next to him. He kept a blank face as she stood there.

"May I sit with you?" she asked quietly.

Beast Boy inclined his head slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her sit on a rock near him, but not next to him.

After a few minutes of silence that was probably very awkward for Terra, she said, "I'm not really sure what Raven meant this morning… but whatever I did, I'm sorry. And I'm really sorry that I ever sided with Slade. That was the biggest mistake of my entire life."

'Ladies and gents, the understatement of the century!' Beast Boy's angry side thought. He suppressed that side of him and listened to what she had to say.

"You probably hate me. If you don't, you should. I hate me," she continued.

Beast Boy blinked. After another silence, he said, "People will never forgive you if you don't forgive yourself."

Terra stared at him. "I was a monster. I can still feel that angry monster inside of me, waiting to bubble up and take over again."

"Good. Having that monster isn't what makes you a bad person. It's knowing when to use it that makes you good," he said, paraphrasing what Raven had once said to him.

Terra blinked at him, then looked out at the horizon and remained quiet.

* * *

ElectroJinx was wandering the United Evils Tower, as she usually did when she had nothing better to do. She and Eclipse had finished their work hours ago. Eclipse had gone off to the library to read about something or other. She didn't really care.

As she walked down the hall to her room, she noticed something off – her door was open. She narrowed her eyes and prepared a ball of electricity to attack whoever was in her room. She entered her room and stopped dead in her tracks.

Leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the room was a villainous legend. Slade Wilson was in her room. Her electric ball fizzled out.

"Hello, ElectroJinx. So kind of you to finally show up," he said.

"What are you doing in my room?" she asked, a little awestruck.

"Your employer has hired me to train you and your partner," he paused and tilted his head to the side, as if listening for something. "It sounds like I will be meeting him very soon.

No sooner had Slade said that than Eclipse walked into her room. He stopped in the doorway and stared at EJ, then at Slade, then EJ again.

"I will be training you both in the case that you have a run-in with a Teen Titan. You need me, but quite frankly, I don't need you. If not for your employer I wouldn't be here. You children will listen to me or you will be punished like you've never felt pain before."

Eclipse and EJ shared a slightly nervous look. Things were about to get interesting at United Evils Tower.


	7. Together

It was just after nine P.M. when Raven returned home. She'd spent most of the afternoon with Damion, then combed the city for any supers, then met up with Damion at the café he had mentioned. It was Thursday, so they hadn't had any events while they were there. It had still been fun, though. Damion told her about how the city had been for the past five years and she had shared some of her stories about the many dimensions she had traveled in those five years. Before either of them knew it, time had flown by and the café was closing (on non-event weekdays they closed at eight-thirty). Damion had walked with her to the beach, and they said goodbye.

Either she hadn't been very quiet coming in, or Nightwing had just been waiting for her, because he was still up, sitting at the kitchen counter, when she came in.

"Did you find any supers?" he asked almost the second she walked into the room.

Raven shook her head. "Not a hide or hair of any supers."

Nightwing scowled. "Why were you out so late, then?"

Raven tried to fight back her irritation. What, was he her father now? "I was gathering information about Jump City in the past five years," she explained. It was mostly true.

Nightwing's scowl melted as he nodded, accepting this reasoning. "Good idea." When laughter traveled from the rocky shore through the window, he frowned.

Raven's eyebrows drew together. "Who's that?" she asked.

Nightwing glanced at her hesitantly. "Beast Boy… and… Terra."

Raven's blood turned to ice for a split second. "Oh," she said, trying not to let it bother her. "Good for them." She turned her head towards the stairway and clenched her jaw. 'Why should I care if he's on good terms with her? It's not my business,' she thought angrily. So why did it bother her so much?

Nightwing cleared his throat. "Tomorrow Beast Boy, Cyborg and I will go to the hardware store. We need new appliances and other stuff. I want you girls to try and get rid of as much dust and debris as you can."

Raven raised an eyebrow at his attempt to change the subject. "Guess Terra will be good for something."

Nightwing chuckled. "C'mon, give her a chance. Maybe she really has changed."

Raven looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "And maybe politicians will finally be honest," she retorted.

Nightwing smiled, but shook his head. "It's weird to be back here," he said after a long silence.

Raven nodded. "Very," she agreed.

"It must be weirder for you. You hadn't even been on Earth for the past five years."

Raven paused to think. "It's a little weird… but with all of us together, it just seems... right."

Nightwing smiled a bit at this. He then stood up and stretched. "Well, Raven, goodnight," he said as he wandered off to his room.

"Night," she called after him. She looked around and, after deciding that she really didn't want to listen to Beast Boy and Terra, returned to her room to read one of the books that had remained on her shelves for all these years.

* * *

Terra was glowing. It was dark outside, but she could feel herself glowing with happiness. It seemed like Beast Boy was going to forgive her. It was just like old times: the two of them, sitting on the rocky shore, talking, laughing. The rest of the world didn't exist.

Terra stole a glance at Beast Boy. Even in the dim light that the moon provided, he looked absolutely perfect. Like a green god. 'So totally kissable,' she thought, internally chuckling at her "Another Cinderella Story" reference. SelGo was totally adorable back then; now she was trying to be sophisticated… it didn't really work, in Terra's opinion.

Beast Boy's eyes met her stare and she blushed, dropping her gaze. Had she been staring at him that intently?

"Beast…Boy…?" she asked hesitantly.

He looked at her fully now. "Yeah?"

"Do you…" she began, nervous about the rest of her question. "Do you think…"

"Do I think what?" he prompted.

"Do you think we could ever have anything… like we had before?" she finally asked.

The few seconds where Beast Boy processed and thought about that were the longest of Terra's life. "I don't know," he finally answered.

Terra clenched her jaw. Had she really expected any more than that? She'd betrayed the team. And to their worst enemy, no less.

"Terra…" Beast Boy began. She got a thrill when he used her name. "Things aren't the same as back then. The situation's changed, you've changed, I've changed… Things can't ever be exactly the same. We were children back then. Now… we've grown up."

"I know that."

"Do you? I'm not trying to sound rude or angry, Terra, but why are you here? Really?"

Terra hesitated. "I want to redeem myself. I don't want to be a traitor in your eyes forever. And…"

"And?"

"And I want us together. Like before all the Slade crap."

After a moment of silence, Beast Boy stood up. "It's late," he said, flying up to the broken window that led to the kitchen and living room.

Terra stood, too, and dusted herself off. "'Night," she mumbled as she walked to the entrance to her room, with happened to be underneath the Tower.

* * *

Beast Boy walked down the hall that led to the original Titans' individual rooms. He paused as he reached Raven's door. Turning, he knocked on it. His heart sped up a bit as he waited for an answer.

It seemed like an eternity, but finally, the door opened. Raven's dark eyes locked on his own green ones with a look of slight shock.

"Um… yeah?" she asked in a confused tone.

Beast Boy swallowed. "Hi," he said simply.

Raven raised an eyebrow and leaned against the door frame. "Is that all you came to say?"

Beast Boy blushed a little. "No. Actually. I, um, came to say… um… good night… and… see you tomorrow… I guess."

Raven responded, "You interrupted my reading for that?"

Beast Boy tensed his jaw, holding back a biting retort. "It's been good to see you again, Rae." He turned and walked down the hall to his own room.

He paused as he heard the barely audible response from Raven, "You, too, Gar."

He smiled. She remembered his real name. His smile didn't fade as he returned to his room, and it was still there when he fell asleep.

* * *

A tall, dark and handsome young man walked into the United Evils Tower, UET for short. It was his "employer's" building, and he himself was in charge of the operations as of the moment the Titans returned to Jump City. He walked onto a warp pad that led to an office with the name "Damion" on a placard on the door.

Damion sat at his new desk, admiring what the good money of "X" had paid for. He rolled his eyes then said, "I really wish you wouldn't hide in my office and spy on me."

Slade Wilson emerged from the shadows. "I merely wished to report the status of Olympus to you," he said with false innocence.

"And to check up on me as 'X' commanded you to do."

"His reasons are his own. Just as mine are. The girl, ElectroJinx. In combat practice, she showed a little promise. I may have to take her as an apprentice."

"That's not my department, Wilson. It's X's."

"The boy, on the other hand, shows little room for improvement. He may be at his peak."

Damion sighed. "Teach him what you can. He's important to X."

Slade nodded. "She comes in the morning?"

Damion clenched his jaw. The go-between agent for X, Trigon, and himself was scheduled to arrive tomorrow. He wasn't looking forward to meeting yet another Daughter of Scath. He looked at the file on her again. She was, like her siblings, an incarnation of one of the seven sins. "Yes," he finally answered. "It ought to be… interesting."

* * *

ElectroJinx lay down on her bed, exhausted from the hours of training Slade had demanded to show hers and Eclipse's potential. She was so exhausted that she barely noticed when Eclipse came into her room. When she did, she sat up. She tried to read the expression on his face, but it was unreadable.

"EJ…" he began. His eyes tried to avoid her exposed skin – her uniform exposed quite a lot, considering it was just a bandeau and pleated skirt with spanks underneath. "You did really great today."

"So did you," she responded.

Eclipse shook his head. "I didn't do very well. I could sort of tell Slade was disappointed with me. But you…"

EJ's eyebrows drew together. "'But I' what?"

Eclipse walked over to her and pulled her to her feet, into his chest. His hand went down her shoulders, down to her lower back. His other hand lifted her chin, and he planted a kiss on her lips.

ElectroJinx was shocked, but she kissed back. Hadn't she wanted this for a while now? It was always just the two of them in the Tower. They were partners. They were really close. This made them closer.

As Eclipse pulled away, he breathily said, "I've wanted to do that for a while now."

EJ nodded in agreement. "Me, too," she said just as breathily. She pulled him lips back to her own and kissed him again.

* * *

A girl in her late teens with long red hair – 'Red Velvet Cupcake, to be exact,' she was always correcting people – arrived in Jump City just as the run was rising. She melted into a shadow and reappeared just outside of the United Evils Tower. She smiled coyly.

Her mission: Report to Damion; Infiltrate Titan Tower; gain the Titans' trust; destroy them from the inside out. She just couldn't wait to see her dear sisters again. She melted into another shadow and appeared in Damion's office. It was empty for the moment. She walked over to the window and looked out at the wonderful view of the city that Damion had.

Her smile turned more flirtatious as she heard the door open. "Good morning, Damion," she purred.

She could hear his sigh as he said, "Good morning, Hummingbird."

"Please," she purred. "Call me Jessie."


	8. Jessie

Jessie sat on Damion's desktop. He had moved to his desk chair. He seemed stressed.

"What's the matter, Damion? You seem stressed," Jessie purred.

Damion scowled at her. She flashed him a flirtatious smile in response. "It's nothing that you can help me with, Hummingbird."

"Jessie. It is the name I have chosen for myself. I won't be bunched with my bird-named siblings."

"Jessie, then," he grumbled.

Jessie tilted her head. Damion's head was in his hands. "What's the matter, pretty boy? Headache? Rough day on the job?" she purred teasingly. Damion lifted his head just enough so that his glaring grey eyes pierced into her own reddish-violet eyes. Jessie chuckled, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. "Is it a woman, perhaps?"

Damion clenched his jaw. Jessie noticed this slight change in his tension and grinned wickedly. "And who might it be?" she mused, using her power of detecting one's lust and love of a person. Her grin only turned more evil when she found that he was attracted to… "My older sister? Raven? Is that it, Damion? You miss the witch that turned her back on my father?" she teased.

Damion stood up in a blur, knocking over his chair and grabbing hold of Jessie's wrist. "You would do wise not to annoy me, Roth," he hissed. Jessie's grin only grew to a sneer.

"Very well, Damion. I won't bother you about it. This time. Now, if you don't mind, I have to go and visit my dear sisters," she said, dismissing herself. She could feel Damion's eyes on her back as she walked out his door, taking the long way out.

As she walked through the hallways, she drank in a lustful atmosphere. 'Someone was very naughty last night,' she purred in her mind, smiling as she let the energy of lust fill her, as though she were eating it to energize her. She chuckled softly as she passed the door where the lust was strongest.

* * *

Nightwing grimaced as he listened to the voice on the other line of the phone. He sighed as he responded, "Yes, Bruce, I understand. I'll come immediately. Yeah, I got it. See you in a few hours." He hung up and glared at the phone. Batman wanted him to go back to Gotham to train his new Robin. 'What a pain in the ass,' he thought as he got up and went to his room. He changed into some street clothes – jeans, motorcycle boots, a t-shirt and a leather jacket; mask still on, of course – and packed a bag with three uniforms and some more street clothes.

When he opened his door, Starfire was standing there, posed like she had just been about to knock.

"Friend Nightwing, why are you not wearing your uniform? And why do you carry a bag? Are you perhaps going somewhere?" she asked.

Nightwing nodded. "I've got business in Gotham. I'll be back… actually; I don't know when I'll be back. I wish I could say 'bye to the others, but I've gotta run. Tell them where I went… if you'd please," he said, adding the last part on hastily. Not waiting for her reaction, he walked past her and slung his bag over his shoulder, making his way to the garage. Soon he put his bag in the side saddle, locked it up, and put on his helmet. He got on the bike and rode out through the opened garage door, headed east towards Gotham City, whizzing past a very attractive redhead on the way out of Jump City.

* * *

Raven was walking down to the kitchen, trying to remain calm as Dove skipped cheerfully behind her, humming some Disney tune. She took a deep breath resisted the urge to turn around and slap her.

As they got to the kitchen, she noticed Starfire staring off into space. "Something wrong, Star?" she asked as she opened the cupboard to get some tea out and Dove bounced happily onto a chair, her emotion rattling the building. Raven sighed internally.

"Friend Nightwing has gone to the City of Gotham. He left about an hour and a half ago, with a suitcase. What if he does not come back?" the Tamaranian worried aloud.

Raven resisted rolling her eyes. "He'll be back. He wouldn't leave for good without saying something to all of us." She put a newly purchased kettle under the faucet and poured water into it, then put it on the stovetop and started up a fire to heat it up.

The kettle started to whistle just as Cyborg and Beast Boy came in. Dove was still bouncing happily in the chair when she chirped a happy, "Good mornin'!" The two men responded with their 'good morning's' and looked around, probably trying to find out where Nightwing was. Cyborg was just about to ask, when a voice carried up from the bottom of the Tower. The four Titans looked at each other, then went to find the source of the voice, with Dove calling after, "Hey! You left the stove on! The tea pot's whistling! Guys!"

* * *

Beast Boy followed closely behind Starfire, having morphed into a sparrow so he could fly quickly. Raven had melted into a shadow and gone ahead of them, and Cyborg was bringing up the rear.

When he reached the bottom of the last flight of stairs, he first only noticed one thing: Raven was frozen in what was either shock or fear. Changing back into his human form, he noticed a second thing: the intruder was a beautiful, grey-skinned female that looked like a red-haired version of Raven. The female looked around at the gathering of Titans – Cyborg had finally caught up – and Beast Boy noticed that her eyes were a reddish-violet. Her gaze lingered on the men, then she set it on Raven.

"My, Rae-Rae, don't welcome your darling younger sister or anything," she teased.

Raven flinched ever-so-slightly, then her expression change to one of distrust and, possibly, anger. "Hummingbird," she hissed. "What are you doing here?"

'Another sister of Raven's?' Beast Boy thought. He tilted his head slightly to the right. 'She'd said something about having six siblings, right?'

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Rae-Rae."

"My name is Raven."

"And mine is Jessie."

Beast Boy's eyes flickered between the sisters. He'd thought the friction between Raven and Dove had been bad, but between Raven and… 'Jessie'… Raven really seemed to hate this sister.

"Friend Raven, Perhaps we should have the introductions?" Starfire interrupted awkwardly.

Jessie turned to the other three Titans. "I'm sorry, Raven wasn't really raised properly. My name is Jessie, and I'm her half-sister on our father's side."

'On Trigon's side…' Beast Boy added in his mind.

"Greetings, friend Jessie. I am Starfire of Tamaran…"

Jessie put a hand up, stopping her. "Princess Koriand'r, known as Starfire on Earth. Cyborg, known as Victor Stone in the corporate world. Beast Boy, once known as Garfield Logan, but only to a select few such as the Titans, and, well, anyone who does their homework," she named off.

Beast Boy felt Cyborg shift uneasily behind him. "How do you know all that?" he asked.

Jessie chuckled. "You're all famous in my home dimension. And my father… well, let's just say he wanted to learn everything about everything about his most formidable foes."

Beast Boy noticed Raven tense up. She stepped backwards, into a shadow, and left her fellow Titans with her sister.

"So," Jessie said. "How about a tour?"

* * *

Raven had gone to her room. She pulled a few books off the shelf, and began setting wards against anyone entering her room without permission.

'Both of them?!' she screamed in her mind. 'Why? Why here? Why now? With all that's already going on?' She pounded the ground with her fist.

Shaking her head, she took in a deep breath and released it slowly. She slipped into a meditative state, allowing her mind to travel away from the Tower and away from her family troubles.

It would not be such a peaceful meditation later.

* * *

Terra yawned as she entered the kitchen. She'd always been a late riser, even in college. She ran a hand through her short blonde hair – She'd cut it short during her senior year of high school, and had liked the ease of it so much that she'd kept the style. She blew her blunt bangs out of her face and poured herself a bowl of cereal.

When she finished pouring her milk, she noticed that there were two other people in the room.

'Nice killer instincts, Terra,' she scolded herself. She looked at the two other people.

Cyborg was leaning on the counter, pinching his nose while listening to someone on the phone. Dove was twirling on the chair as she read a magazine with Jennifer Aniston on the cover.

"Who's she dating now?" Terra asked, sitting beside Raven's younger sister.

"Hunh?" Dove asked, looking up. Flipping back to the cover, she responded, "Oh. Not dating, she's pregnant with Justin Theroux's baby."

Terra's eyebrows shot up. "No way! Really?"

Dove nodded eagerly, seemingly glad for the attention. "Well, that's what everyone's saying, anyway. There are some party-poopers saying she's not, but I actually really hope she is. She deserves a good break."

Terra was about to respond when Cyborg sighed. "Yeah," he said into the phone. "I can get on the next plane out. Mhm. See you then, Scott." He hung up.

"What was that about?" Terra asked.

Cyborg shook his head. "Troubles with my company. I need to go and straighten things out." He put his face in his hands. "Man, this is way too much! I knew I shouldn't have responded to the Titan call," he groaned.

Terra hesitated, wanting to be of use in this situation. "Was coming here such a bad thing?" she finally asked. "I mean, you did get to see all your old friends…"

Cyborg shook his head. "We each have our own lives now. I can only speak for myself, but I certainly didn't have the time to come out here. Not with Cyberwave buying out all my warehouses. The others… they seem better suited for this mission than me. It's like helping out my enemy."

Terra narrowed her eyes at the bionic man. "That's not like you at all. The Titans were, and still are, your family. They had your back for years, and you had theirs. Things like that don't just change!" She felt hot tears burning her eyes. She would have done anything to be a part of a family like the Titans. Hell, for a brief moment in time, she was. And she'd thrown it away. She wouldn't let Cyborg make the same mistake. She glanced around. "Where… where are Beast Boy and Starfire?"

"Showing the new girl around. She's Raven and Dove's sister," Cyborg answered.

"Yep! Big sis Jessie is here!" Dove chirped.

Cyborg looked at a panel on his arm. "Well, I have to make the next flight out. Tell the others… that I'll be back as soon as I take care of this." He walked over to the doorway and paused. He turned to look at the girls. "And Terra… thanks."

Terra beamed. "No problem."

Cyborg left the room, leaving Terra alone with Raven's younger sister.

* * *

Damion sighed. He looked at his watch and stood up from his desk. He was scheduled to arrive at Titan Tower soon. Unfortunately, that would mean seeing Jessie.

Fortunately, that would mean seeing Raven.

On his way out, he passed Slade, who was in the training room. He avoided the duo that was currently housed in the Tower of the United Evils and exited the building. Getting into his silver Maserati, he drove off towards the coast.

* * *

Raven awoke from her trance, panting fearfully. She swallowed and attempted to calm herself. She took deep breaths, trying to release herself from the terrible vision she had just seen.

'Nightwing… I need to call Nightwing…' she picked up her communicator and pressed the red button.

"Raven? What's wrong?" Nightwing asked. Raven could hear wind rushing past him over the speaker. He had his video turned off, so he was likely still driving.

Raven swallowed. "I-I…"

"Raven, what is it? Spit it out! Is the Tower being attacked? Is everyone okay?"

Raven closed her eyes and shook her head. "Everyone's fine. The Tower's fine. I… I had a vision and…" Raven's head shot up as she heard a knock echoing through Titan Tower. "I… I'll call you later. When you're not driving."

"Raven?! Don't hang up on me! Raven?!"

Raven shut her communicator and walked out of her room. She walked down the stairs to the entrance hall, with Terra hesitantly declining the stairs behind her. Raven smiled slightly when she saw who had come to the Tower.

The tall man turned around and smiled at her. "Raven, how nice to see you again," Damion greeted.

"Hello, Damion. What are you doing here at the Tower?" she asked.

"I've come with orders from my father to repair the Tower for the city's esteemed guests," he responded, waving in a team of men with lots of tools and electronic gadgets.

"Your father?" Raven asked, puzzled. Starfire and Beast Boy had entered the main hall, now, with Jessie in tow.

Damion chuckled. "Yes, my father; Xavier Cyber. I believe you already met him."

"Your father is Xavier Cyber?" Beast Boy asked, confusion in his voice.


	9. Turmoil

Terra sat at the kitchen counter again. Beast Boy and Starfire were continuing to give the new girl – Raven and Dove's sister, Jessie – a tour of the Tower. Dove had decided to go and try to meditate for a while, and Raven had gone off with the man that had shown up to "fix up the Tower", leaving Terra alone to her thoughts.

College had thus far been the highlight of Terra's life; after graduating high school, she'd gotten a scholarship to Boston University as an archaeology major. She had somehow managed to get good grades and study hard, while partying just as hard. It was a good two years there, and then she'd gotten the call to return to Titan Tower. Surprisingly enough, she still had the communicator she'd been given years prior.

She'd loved studying archaeology. It was fascinating to learn about the history of artifacts that one could find.

She was popular in college. She'd made a lot of friends there. Sure, it was cold in winter, but that's what alcohol, wild parties, and hot guys were for.

Coming back to reality, Terra though of this Damion Cyber guy. He seemed so familiar, like she knew him from somewhere. She could swear she'd met him before… maybe in her high school days. She'd partied so hard back then that two entire years were blacked out of her memory. Of course, the doctors said that she'd hit her head and gotten amnesia just after graduation, but who honestly believed that? Not Terra, that's for sure.

* * *

"And this is the room of the work outs… though it has seen the better days," Starfire was saying to Jessie.

Beast Boy was more interested in what Raven was doing with that Damion guy, and how they knew each other. She'd said something about just getting back from travelling the dimensions for five years… right? His jaw tensed, imagining what they could be doing.

Jessie gave some kind of sarcastic response to Starfire, which caused Starfire to giggle about her "use of the sarcasm".

"I'm going to go see what's up with the workers," Beast Boy announced, walked off towards were the other pair had headed.

When he passed by Raven's room, Dove popped out. "Couldn't focus," she declared to him. "I'm gonna follow you."

Beast Boy shrugged and continued walking towards Raven and Damion.

* * *

"Really, it's an awesome café," Damion insisted. Raven smirked and shook her head. He'd been trying to get her to go check out the café he'd spoken about at the book store.

"I'm sure it is, but there's just too much going on here at the Tower," she argued yet again.

Damion laughed. "I'm sure you could spare one evening."

Raven couldn't help but return him a small smile. His laugh was intoxicating, the kind of laugh that made everyone want to smile or laugh along with him. Even for Raven it was hard to resist.

"We'll see," she said as Beast Boy and Dove walked over to them. Dove was practically jumping up and down with energy. Raven wondered what could have made Dove so energetic. Then she saw Beast Boy's face. He looked like he was trying to keep it cool, but at the same time it was painfully obvious that he was having some kind of negative reaction to either herself or Damion… or both. Since Dove was buzzing, it was likely jealousy.

'_That's ridiculous; why would he be jealous?_' she thought.

"How's the work going?" Beast Boy asked nonchalantly.

"Quite well, actually. With all the workers my father hired, the work should be done in about two or three weeks, maybe sooner," Damion responded.

Beast Boy nodded, as if it was exactly the answer he'd been looking for.

"Maybe we should move this party up to the kitchen?" Raven suggested, suddenly getting the sense that the hallway was far too small for the four of them.

Damion smiled and nodded, indicating for her to lead the way.

* * *

EJ hit the wall hard, panting.

"Again," Slade ordered

EJ swallowed, then ran at Slade, swinging a punch at him with all her might. Slade easily caught her fist and threw her to the ground.

"You lack in motivation, child."

EJ growled and rolled to her feet, swinging one leg to his ankles. Slade kicked her leg up and caught it, lifting her so that she was dangling just above the floor.

"How precious; you think you're intimidating." He threw her to the ground, towering over her. "You're a weak, petulant child, ElectroJinx."

EJ ground her teeth in frustration. She could practically hear electricity crackling in her fist, she wanted to hit him so bad. She took a chance and swung at his leg full force. This time, though, he yelled in pain. EJ's eyes widened as she watched an electrical current go through him. She quickly stood up and looked down at her hands. Unclench; nothing. Clench; electrical currents running over her skin. She felt something hit the back of her ankles and she fell on her back, knocking the wind out of her; Slade had sweep-kicked her.

"Better," he said. "Again."

* * *

Damion had been trying to get Raven alone all afternoon. But so far, no luck. Just when he'd been about to get her to agree to a date with him, Beast Boy and her sister, Dove, had interrupted.

He was relieved when Dove said, "Beast Boy, Terra, come train with me! I wanna practice fighting against two opponents!"

That was the other issue; Terra. Damion hadn't expected her to be back in Jump City. She was supposed to be in Boston, studying archaeology with the help of the scholarship his father had given her. Granted that she was really only given the scholarship so that she'd be separated from Damion…

Damion shook his head. Now was not the time to think about that. The trio had left the room, and he was finally alone with Raven.

"About the café…" he began.

"What about it?" Raven asked, tilting her head.

"The invitation still stands; tomorrow night is both an open mic and a poetry slam. I really think you'd enjoy yourself."

Raven gave a small chuckle. "Do you now? Well, in that case, I suppose I'll have to join you, won't I?" she teased.

Damion smiled, which caused Raven to smile a little. "You'll be my date then?" he asked somewhat eagerly, but still sounding like his smooth self.

Raven smiled at him. "Sure… It's a date," she finally agreed.

Damion's smile grew. "Would you like me to pick you up, or would you like to meet there?"

Raven shook her head, still smiling. "I'll meet you there."

Damion stood and bowed. "Until then, milady." She rolled her eyes at him and walked him down to the front door of the Tower.

"See you then," she said, sounding like what he sincerely hoped was eager.

* * *

"C'mon, White! If we don't hurry, we won't make it to Titan Tower before dark!" a girl with brown hair that had blue tips called eagerly down the hill. Her friend, a young man with white hair and pale skin, looked up at her apologetically.

"I'm going as fast as I can, BR," he called to her.

'BR', whose real name was Blue Rose, jumped up and down impatiently. "It's gonna be dark soon, and we're not even in the city yet!"

White frowned at Blue Rose as he walked up to her. "I'm not as strong or fast as you; maybe you should go ahead and tell them we're coming."

Blue Rose shook her head. "No; we're partners, we travel together!" she insisted.

White smiled. He liked it when his best friend called them partners. It gave him a sense of belonging.


	10. Invitation

It was a warm Friday morning. Terra had decided to go outside and enjoy the sunshine while Beat Boy watched the workers like a hawk – literally – and Starfire insisted on getting to know Raven's sisters. Terra wasn't sure what Raven herself was doing, but it was probably best that she didn't know. Raven wasn't exactly her biggest fan.

She happened to be walking down a street lined with little shops when she overheard a pair talking.

"I just don't get it; how do you get lost in Jump City looking for Titan Tower? It's right by the coast! White, you were supposed to be the navigator!" a girl with brown and blue hair was saying.

"I'm sorry! I'm not really used to big cities…" the man that was accompanying her apologized.

"You went to college in Boston!" the girl retorted.

"Yeah… but I never left the University campus…"

Terra raised an eyebrow. The man looked familiar. "Pardon me," she said, interrupting their squabble. "Did you by chance go to Boston University?"

The man looked at her. He kind of looked like a ghost; his hair was a white-blonde color, his skin was pale with dark shadows under his pale grey eyes. "Yes… I went to Boston University. I'm an archaeology major… more the brains behind archaeology than any of the physical labor."

Terra could see that, noticing that his arms and legs were pretty scrawny. Well, not scrawny-scrawny, but compared to Cyborg and Nightwing and Beast Boy, his muscles had yet to develop. He seemed like a total nerd. She smiled at him nonetheless. "No way! Me, too. I mean, I was at BU as an archaeology major, too." She stuck out her hand to him. "Tara Markov. But nowadays, people just call me Terra."

The female's eyes widened. "You're the Terra that betrayed the Teen Titans all those years ago!" she whispered rather loudly. Terra blushed awkwardly. "What was it like fighting against Robin?" the girl asked suddenly.

"Um… it was actually kind of difficult," Terra answered awkwardly. "But… That's not me anymore. Um, what are your names?"

"Oh, I'm Blue Rose. And this is my partner, White," the girl answered.

White, who had taken Terra's hand in his own, icy cold one, smiled and said quietly, "I remember you from classes. You probably knew me as Albert Foster, the geek that sat in the front and took notes like mad."

Terra smiled. She did remember him. She'd been competing with him for the top of the Archaeology 101 class. "Nice to meet you, Blue Rose, and good to see you again, Albert Foster, also known as White." She paused. "Hey, White…"

"Call me Albert," he interrupted quickly.

Terra smiled at him again. "Albert. Do you want to walk around for a while?" she asked.

Blue Rose frowned, looking impatient. "But we have to find Titan Tower! I have to meet Robin!"

"I can point you in the right direction," Terra offered. "He goes by Nightwing now… but he's currently away on a mission of some sort. He should be back in a few days."

Blue Rose frowned again. "Fine. Point me down the right street, I'll find it. Since Nightwing's not there, I guess there's no point in us going together, huh, White? We'll just have to show him our awesomeness later."

White laughed quietly at his partner's response and nodded. Terra pointed her down a street that would lead straight to the docks, then turned to Albert. "So, Albert, anything you feel like seeing in Jump City? I hear there's a cool Ancient Greece exhibit at the museum."

Albert's pale eyes lit up as he nodded eagerly. They walked side-by-side to the museum, laughing and talking about their old teachers.

Just as they got to the Museum, Albert's phone went off. He looked at the name, then gave Terra an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, it's Blue. I should take this." Terra nodded and sat on the wall outside the museum while he walked off in the direction of the Tower, which could be seen in the distance.

Twenty minutes passed, then thirty. Albert had not yet returned. Terra stood up. '_Wonder what's taking him so long?_' she thought as she walked off in the same direction he had.

A few blocks later she was standing in front of Jump City Academy, where she had graduated from. There was another man there; tall with dark hair. As she got closer, she recognized him as the man that had been at Titan Tower yesterday. He seemed to have heard her approaching, and turned to smile at her. It was an intoxicating smile that made Terra's legs feel a little like jelly.

"Terra. Good to see you," he greeted.

Terra smiled awkwardly. "You, too… Damion, right?"

Damion laughed, which struck a chord in Terra. She recognized that laugh. '_From where, though?!_' she thought, frustrated. Damion seemed to murmur something inaudibly. Suddenly, memories rushed back to Terra.

"Oh my God… Damion! Damion Cyber!" she grinned, her eyes lighting up. "It's been forever! How have you been? I haven't seen you since I left for Boston!"

Damion chuckled. "I've been well, Terra. I hope you've been well, too." She nodded happily. "Excellent. I must say, I never expected to see you back in Jump City."

Terra looked Damion up and down. It had been a little over two years since she'd seen him; he was just as handsome as ever. She smiled at him, and couldn't help but hope that they had a lot of time to catch up.

* * *

Jessie was reading a magazine, trying to ignore her pacing younger sister. Carrie Underwood's 'Good Girl' was playing from her iHome speakers, and Jessie was absent-mindedly humming along to it.

The sisters were on the roof, enjoying the mid-spring sunshine. Well, Jessie was trying to enjoy it while Dove went through an emotional overload.

Jessie sighed and put down her magazine. "Dovie, what's bothering you?"

Dove stopped pacing for a split second to look at her older sister. "I have no idea how to meditate and my emotions are on overload right now," she mumbled, pacing again.

Jessie stood up and put her magazine on the beach chair she had brought up from the storage closet. She took a deep breath, then said, "Okay, Dovie, come on." Dove looked at her questioningly. "I'm going to help you release all that energy." Dove's eyes lit up as she grinned at her sister. Jessie gave a small smile in return and led her sister to the edge of the roof.

Dove looked nervously down below. Noticing her nervousness, Jessie said, "Relax, Dovie: breath in, breath out. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Breath in positive energy, and breath out negative energy." Jessie took her sister's hands and breathed with her. With each breath, she felt lighter. Soon enough, she was levitating. Dove, however, was not. Dove's feet remained firmly on the roof, and soon it was clear to both sisters that they would not be moving any time soon. Jessie smiled sympathetically at Dove. "Maybe next time, Dovie. At least now you know how to get there… sort of."

Dove let go of Jessie's hands and sat on the edge of the roof in defeat.

* * *

Five-forty-three. Raven was just then entering the café. She wore a dark blue, long sleeve shirt with black jeans, her usual belt, and a pair of black ankle boots. Her long hair was brushed neatly and left down. She wore only black eyeliner for makeup – there really was no point in cover up since her skin was a light grey color and there was no foundation or cover up that was her color.

It wasn't hard to spot Damion; all she had to do was look for the gorgeous man with eyes like storm clouds and a dazzling smile. He was sitting at a table near the front with a coffee cup in front of him.

"Have you been waiting long?" Raven asked a little nervously. She didn't exactly go on dates… ever.

Damion smiled and responded, "Not long at all, actually. I arrived here just moments before you." He gestured for her to sit.

As she sat across the table from him, the manager of the café went on stage. In his mellow voice, he said into the microphone, "Welcome, ladies and gents to the weekly poetry slam and open mic night. Tonight we welcome music producer Lannem George"– he paused to allow the snaps and claps to stop – "and Jump City's very own Damion Cyber" – more snaps and claps. "Without further ado, let's welcome our first act. She's one of our regulars; please welcome singer and guitarist, Anna Rae." Once again, the snaps and claps ensued. A woman in her early twenties with gingery hair came on the stage and began playing her song.

When the song was done, Damion turned to her, a quizzical smile on his lips. "What?" Raven asked, feeling self-conscious. He simply smiled and returned his attention to the poet that was coming on stage.

"You're beautiful, that's all," he finally said just before the poet began.

A slight pink shade lit up on Raven's cheeks. It didn't stay long, for the poet's words had her full attention.

And so the night went on; between each act, Damion would say something both sweet and obscure, and Raven would be unable to respond because the next act would go on.

When all the acts were done, Damion led Raven outside. They walked in the crisp night air for a while, talking about the acts.

"I have a question to ask you," Damion interrupted.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

"There's a gala at the museum in about a month," he began. "I was wondering… if you might be my date for the event…?"

Raven fell silent, shocked that he was asking her to go to such a big event with him. "A-are you sure you want me to be your date?" she stammered.

Damion looked at her and smiled his million-watt smile. "Positive."

Raven bit her lip nervously, then looked him in the eyes and said, "Yes."

Damion's smile grew. He took her hand and walked her down to the coast.

* * *

White was walking around the city. It hadn't been Blue that had called him those hours ago. It had been his younger sister. She'd been wondering why he wasn't at school. He never questioned how she knew things; it was best to just accept it.

"Quite a night, isn't it?" a voice said from above him.

White looked up to see a man in bronze and black armor, with only one eye showing, standing on the roof of a nearby shop. "Erm… lovely… who are you?" White asked.

"My name is Slade," the man responded.

"Slade. Fantastic. And what do you want, Slade?"

Slade jumped down from the roof and landed not three feet away from White. "I noticed that earlier you were with my ex-apprentice, Terra, and a young woman going by 'Blue Rose'." He paused to stand up; he towered over White.

White backed away and glared up at Slade. "H-how do you know Blue?"

Slade chuckled. "One question at a time, White. Now, as I was saying… I'm here… to kill you."

White's eyes widened as he turned to flee. He didn't have any of his gear with him… Blue had taken all their weapons and supplies with her to Titan Tower.

'_Dammit, I am such a failure of a hero!_' White scolded himself. No sooner had he thought that than Slade knocked him to the ground. White felt the burn of fabric against his skin as Slade pulled him by the ankle. He felt a heavy blow to his stomach, and deduced that Slade had kicked him. Hard. He felt air rush past him as he slammed into something – a wall most likely.

White couldn't breathe. His chest and back felt like they were being crushed between two slabs of concrete. It wasn't long before his consciousness started slipping. He heard voices. Two females. One older than the other. Footsteps as someone – presumably Slade, since the two female voices were still talking – retreated. He felt as though he was being lifted.

The last thought in his head before he blacked out completely was, '_Blue… Terra…Thank you…_'


	11. Healing

It was just past ten when Raven and Damion got back to Titan Tower. It was quiet, the waves beating against the beach being the only sound. The bottom of the tower was dark, but there was a light from what Raven hoped wasn't the infirmary.

"Alright, last question for the night," Damion announced. They'd been playing 20 questions on their way back to the Tower. "What is your favorite TV show?"

Raven smiled and rolled her eyes at him. "You'll laugh."

"Oh, come on, how bad could it be? Just tell me," he said, taking her by the hand and pulling her closer to him.

Raven's heart beat a little faster as Damion laced their fingers together. Just as she was about to answer him, the front door burst open. She looked over to see Dove hopping from foot to foot frantically.

"Raven, Raven, we need your help!" Dove bit her lip and looked up at the window with the light, then back at Raven.

Raven followed Dove's glance, then narrowed her eyes. "What. Happened?"

Dove bit her lip and grabbed Raven by the wrist. As her sister dragged her away, Raven gave Damion an apologetic look and said, "I'll see you later, Damion."

"Good night, Raven." Damion waved and got into his boat to return to the mainland.

"So there's this new guy that came to the tower with this girl that's his partner, and he got injured by someone while in the city, and Terra and Blue Rose – that's his partner, Blue Rose – they brought him back here. He's unconscious, and he won't wake up. Jessie thinks he might be completely comatose and have brain damage beyond repair, but then I thought 'Surely Raven can fix him!'" Dove blurted. They were stopped outside the infirmary; Dove turned to look Raven in the eyes and lowered her voice. "You can fix him, right?"

Raven looked through the doorway to her fellow Titans and the newer faces surrounding the bed, then to the young man who appeared to be sleeping. "I'm going to try," she answered in low, determined voice.

* * *

Terra crossed her arms in front of her chest and pressed her lips together.

"How exactly will meditation help White?" Blue Rose asked, narrowing her eyes at the half-demon.

Terra's eyes nervously flicked to Raven. It was her own experience that Raven didn't take attitude well.

Raven, however, was calm. "I'm going to connect with his mind and search for any hint of consciousness. Once I find it, I'll pull it to the surface and hope for the best."

Terra looked back to Blue Rose, who still looked skeptical. She jumped slightly as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head, she found herself looking at Jessie. Jessie nodded her head toward the hallway and led Terra out there.

Closing the door behind them, Jessie said, "You're worried about him."

Terra fiddled with the necklace she was wearing. "Well, yeah, he's a friend from college." Jessie laughed and shook her head. Terra frowned at her. "What?"

"You're funny, Markov."

"Don't call me that."

"Oh, relax. It's not like you're the only one with daddy issues." Jessie tossed her red hair over her shoulder. "Anyways, you're not just worried about him. And he's not just a 'friend from college,' we both know that you probably never spoke to him before today, never really noticed him. But you did notice him today, for whatever reason."

Terra raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"

Jessie scowled at her, annoyed at either being interrupted or having her would-be monologue cut short. "I'm getting at the fact that he's in love with you and you're interested in him, whether you realize it or not. It's actually quite predictable, really: the nerdy boy falls for the beautiful blonde party animal."

Terra looked down at the floor. "My party days are long over," she murmured.

Jessie sighed. "I'm sure they are. I'm also sure I don't really care." She crossed her arms. "Do you want to help White wake up or not?"

Terra lifted her face to look at Jessie. "What could I possibly do?"

"The biggest cliché in the book: a lover's first kiss."

"Isn't it supposed to be 'true love's first kiss'?"

"Well, yes, but in this case, he's not really your true love, from what I can tell, so we'll just call it 'a lover's first kiss.'"

Terra looked at the infirmary door. All she had to do was kiss White? 'But,' she thought. 'Beast Boy is in there… If I kiss White… will that destroy my chances with him?' She bit her lip. 'And now Damion is back…'

"Look, Rae can only bring him up so far. What he really needs is a reason to fight his way back to consciousness. Markov, you are the only one here that can give him a reason."

"Don't call me that." Terra paused, thinking. "We should go back in."

Jessie shrugged and held the door open for Terra. As she walked in, Terra noticed Beast Boy sitting in a chair, holding Raven, who looked exhausted. Her eyes narrowed.

* * *

"Tired, Rae-Rae?" Jessie asked.

Raven, not bothering to look at Jessie or shoot a comeback, responded, "It was really small. Hard to find. But – I think I brought him up far enough. Just needs … a push."

Jessie nudged Terra forward. The blonde walked over to the hospital bed, glanced at White, then Beast Boy, then White again. Jessie rolled her eyes. 'Just kiss him already so I can get this show on the road,' she thought impatiently.

Terra leaned over White, but hesitated. Jessie rolled her eyes and drummed her fingers on her arm. Finally, Terra kissed White. 'At last!' Jessie thought as her eyes began to glow a reddish color. 'Now just a little suggestion for them to fall deeply in lust for each other…'

Though it was clearly unnecessary, Terra continued to kiss White. She felt White kissing back, so she knew he was awake, and she felt everyone's eyes on them, which felt awkward. But more powerful than the awkwardness was her sudden lust for White.

Someone coughed. Now it was intensely awkward. Terra pulled her face away from White's and backed up, blushing. Dove was suppressing laughter, Blue Rose was rolling her eyes, and Jessie had a smug look glued on her face. Terra's eyes shifted around the room, taking in all of their faces. The only eyes that were not on her were Raven's and Beast Boy's; Raven had fallen asleep, and Beast Boy was staring at her intently. Finally, she noticed White staring at her through half-open eyes, a questioning look on his face.

Blue Rose walked over to him. "Rest, White. Don't want you over-exerting yourself. Night, partner." Blue walked out of the room with Starfire, the Tamaranian showing her to one of the newly fixed rooms. Jessie laughed and walked out of the room, Dove skipping happily after her.

Beast Boy stood up from his chair, Raven in his arms. He smiled at Terra. "I'm glad White's okay. You were friends with him when you went to college, right?" Terra nodded, not sure of what to say. "Well, it's great that he's alive. Honestly, I thought he'd be dead." He gestured to Raven. "Well… I'm going to put Raven in her bed and go to bed myself. You should get some sleep, too, Terra." He smiled again and walked out of the room.

Terra watched him walk out, then looked at White, who was deep asleep by now. She sighed and walked down to her old room. 'I could definitely use some sleep…' she thought.

* * *

Damion had arrived just before nine to oversee the work being done to Titan Tower. This wasn't his sole reason for being there, though. No, he intended to spend some quality time with Terra. If anyone knew how girls dressed for formal events, it would be her. He would have her help him pick out a dress for Raven. Not to mention that he hadn't seen his dear little sister for several years.

'_Not that we're actually related_,' Damion thought. '_The way we were in high school, though, makes it seem that way._' They'd been nearly inseparable in high school – until Damion's father forced them to separate, that is.

Damion, who had been pacing, now found himself in the kitchen. Though at first he had dismissed it as empty, he now noticed someone was there: none other than Terra herself.

"Good morning, Terra," he said pleasantly.

Terra, who had been staring off into space, snapped to attention and noticed Damion. A warm smile grew on the blonde's face. "Damion! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Oh, overseeing the work being done to the Tower… Actually, I was hoping I'd run into you."

"You were?"

"Yes, I was going to ask if you'd like to spend some time catching up. It has been a few years, after all."

Terra's smile grew into a grin as she nodded happily. "Of course! Let me just go get dressed," she said as she popped up and jogged to her room. Damion chuckled. Terra always had such energy.

Not but a minute later, Beast Boy walked into the room. "Ah, good morning, Beast Boy," Damion greeted.

The green changeling raised an eyebrow at Damion, then mumbled a 'good morning,' turning his attention to the fridge.

"How is Raven?" Damion asked.

Beast Boy seemed to tense up, but he answered nonetheless, "She's resting. Last night was… difficult."

Damion took Beast Boy's body language to mean that he didn't want to talk about Raven. '_No matter_,' Damion thought. '_I'll be seeing her soon enough_.'

Finally, Terra returned to the kitchen, ready and eager to go. Damion smiled at her, then said, "See you around, Beast Boy." Beast Boy grunted a response as the duo left.

* * *

'_I get to spend time with Damion! Maybe this time we'll…_' Terra blushed and pushed the thought aside. They were just now walking into Jump City Mall.

"You know, Terra," Damion said abruptly. "The museum is having a gala soon. I happen to have two extra tickets on me. You could come and bring whomever you like."

'_That must mean he has a date… But… It's Damion! He never asks anyone out! Ever!_' Terra thought desperately. '_Wait, what am I thinking..? I love White! I mean, Albert… Last night, that kiss…_' Terra's thoughts trailed off until she realized Damion was waiting for an answer. "Oh! Yeah that sounds fun! In that case, I'll need a dress, won't I?" She smiled, despite the fact that inside she wanted to punch herself.

Damion chuckled. As the two walked through the mall, Terra spotted a formal dress shop. She smiled at Damion and led him inside. She picked out a few dresses, tried them on, and put them back disappointedly. It was hard for her to find dresses that worked well with her scrawny physique.

Near the back of the shop was a section of quite expensive dresses. She found two dresses that suited her tastes; one was cornflower blue, a spaghetti strap dress that was bunched at the top, which would hide the fact that she was essentially flat-chested. It was floor length with a slit down one side. Then there was the other dress; midnight blue, form-fitting with a trail that faded from midnight blue to white, strapless with a ruby set in silver between the breasts. It was a dress for a woman with more curves, and Terra knew she would be disappointed if she tried it on. She simply had to try it on, though.

Ten minutes later, Terra emerged from the dressing room, victorious in finding a dress, but disappointed it wasn't the dark one.

"Did you find one you like?" Damion asked as she returned the darker dress to its place of honor in the back.

"Er.. yes," Terra said turning to him and showing him the light blue dress.

"It's lovely," he said. His eyes fell on the darker dress and he raised an eyebrow. "That one's nice."

Terra pressed her lips together and looked away from the dress. "Yeah, well, it's not quite my style."

Damion looked at her apologetically and reach out to take the dress from here. "Here, let me get that for you," he said, not really offering, but rather insisting to pay.

"Damion-" Terra began to protest.

"Say not a word, Terra. I'll meet you outside when I'm done."

Terra shot him a look, but exited the shop anyway. Several minutes later, Damion returned to her side, her dress in hand and a smile on his face.

* * *

The sun was setting as Nightwing walked up to the Tower. It had seemed like a long trip, filled with much sparring and gadget training and obstacle courses. While it had been nice seeing Bruce, and even Talia, he didn't enjoy seeing Tim or Damien; they were idealists, which made training difficult.

As he opened the door, Nightwing noticed a package. He picked it up and saw that it was addressed to Raven. '_Odd_,' he thought. '_Who would be sending something to Rae?_' He shook his head, took a deep breath, and opened the door. He was greeted by the smell of food – chicken, warm vegetables, and even though he couldn't smell it, he knew that BB was having his tofu.

He walked up the stairs and saw his friends – minus Cyborg –, Dove, and two new faces, sitting at a new-looking dining room table.

"Raven, this package came for you," he said as he approached. The group at the table turned to look at him. His friends smiled, and the two new faces – both female – eyed him. One – a girl no older than seventeen with blonde hair that had blue tips – looked at him with the eyes of a fan girl. The other – a beautiful redhead with eyes like rubies – looked at him with vague interest.

Raven stood and walked over to him. After welcoming him home, she took the box and went to put it in her room. Beast Boy's eyes trailed after her longingly. Nightwing rolled his eyes and sat down in one of the empty chairs beside Beast Boy. "So," he began. "Who're you two?"

The blonde spoke up first, "I'm Blue Rose! You are, like, my favorite hero! You're way cooler than Superman and The Flash and all those other heroes with powers!"

Nightwing held back a grimace. He was now going to be living with his number one fan, it seemed. He turned his gaze to the redhead. "And you are?"

The redhead gave him a catty smirk. "Jessie Roth. I'm the sister between Rae-Rae and Dovie in age."

Nightwing raised an eyebrow. '_Another Roth sibling? Wonder what her powers are…_'


	12. Training

"Dove, focus!"

The green-eyed girl snapped back to attention, looking over at her sister. "S-sorry, Jessie…"

Jessie sighed. It was going to be tough training Dove when she would never focus long enough to get anything done. "You need to focus. Okay, breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. Good. Now, shift your weight to stand on one leg, and bring your leg up-" Dove did as she was told, struggling to balance on one leg "-and close your eyes-" She again did as she was told; though it was only a moment before she toppled over. Jessie sighed again. They'd been training for a few days now, with very little progress.

Dove opened her eyes, letting out a breath of frustration. "I'm never going to get it!"

"Yes, you will. It'll just take time and practice."

"Why is it so easy for you and Rae?"

Jessie sat down next to Dove. "Well… you were raised differently than we were – all three of us were raised differently. Raven was raised by those monks, I was raised by Father's lap dogs, and you were raised by your mother." She tilted her head. "Weren't you happy while you were growing up?"

"Yes, of course I was. I was loved. That counteracted my powers for a while… until I turned twelve. That's when they started acting up." Dove sighed. "I just… don't understand."

"Just keep working at it. You'll get it eventually." The redhead stood up and walked off towards the door.

"Thanks. You know, you're a lot nicer about this than Raven."

Jessie paused at the door. '_That's because I'm just trying to win you over…_' she thought, her jaw tensing a bit. "Keep practicing. I have to run an errand."

* * *

Nightwing caught the foot that was coming at his face. He pushed against it, knocking his opponent onto her back. The brunette before him gave out a frustrated growl, narrowing her eyes at the man.

"Growling isn't going to get you anywhere," he sighed. She pushed herself off the ground and came at him again, this time using her fists. He ducked and pushed up at her arm with the heel of his palm, diverting the blow. His leg wrapped around to the back of her ankles, causing her to, again, fall over. He straightened up and crossed his arms. "You need to focus and keep your eyes on your target. Both were all over the place during that match."

Blue Rose let out a deep breath. "Sorry. Can we try again?" Her blue eyes were hopeful.

"Let's take a break for now. We've been going for a few hours now." He walked over to the counter – the training room had already been repaired and improved; it now had a refreshment bar, with a mini-fridge that was stocked with sports drinks and water – and drank from his bottle of water. "You've been working really hard these past few days. And you've begun to improve. Keep up the good work."

"Nightwing…"

"Hmm?" He returned his gaze to her.

She shook her head, smiling. "I'm going to beat you one of these days!"

Nightwing smirked. "Whatever you say, Blue." And with that, he walked out of the room.

Training with Blue Rose hadn't been as bad as he had initially feared; when they'd started training, she'd lost her fan-girl attitude and switched into a more serious attitude. She was actually growing on him.

His eyes suddenly fell on red hair. Another smirk rose on his face. "How's the training on your end?" he asked.

A laugh escaped the redhead's lips. "Slow coming. How's yours?"

"Not too bad. She's getting better."

"Oh? Did she finally stop asking for your autograph?"

"She's not that bad on the sparring mat. And she's starting to grow on me."

"Isn't that precious; the idol and the fan-girl," Jessie purred as she walked past him.

Nightwing rolled his concealed eyes, watching her as she walked down the hall. '_She's starting to grow on me, too_,' he thought, hoping that this Roth couldn't read thoughts.

* * *

United Evils Tower was quiet. Though, from what Jessie had gathered since arriving in Jump City and reporting to Slade or Damion every couple of days, the tower was usually this quiet. There were only two regular boarders here; an irksome blonde girl and a black-haired boy with potential.

"Roth," a cold voice greeted.

Jessie rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip. "Wilson," she returned just as coldly.

"You've kept me waiting. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I was a bit busy working at getting our new portal on my side. And what have you been doing these past few days? Playing with the tykes?"

He ignored her remark, instead asking, "What is your report, Roth?"

The redhead sighed. "Nightwing is training his fan-girl. Terra is holed up with her new lust-buddy. Cyborg is still away. Raven is as freakish as ever, and Dove is nowhere near ready. You're going to have to tell X that his plans will have to wait."

"So. Nightwing returned, huh? I can hardly wait to reunite with my old apprentices."

Jessie turned to leave. "If that's all, I'll be going now."

"Not quite yet." She heard a rush of air and a light thud as Slade landed near where she stood. "Such a shame that your beauty is wasted on the Titans." His face was near hers, and his fingers were playing with her hair.

She slapped his hand away. "Don't even think about it, creep," she hissed, stepping away and turning to face him. Her red eyes flashed as she glared at him. "My contract is with X, not you. Our contract was broken the moment my father declared you dead."

She was sure he was smirking, though his face was hidden by a mask. "I'm fully aware of that, Roth. All the more reason to –"

"No. Do us all a favor, Wilson, and keep it in your damned pants."

She walked out of the building, refusing to look back. Slade Wilson had always given her the creeps.

'_I have **got** to get a new job_…'

* * *

It was hardly his fault that the middle Roth girl was so tempting; it was the curse of her father. As one of the seven children of sin, she would be curse to embody her sin. It just so happened that hers was lust. Therefore, her curse was attracting people. She wouldn't be able to help it.

"Did the witch leave?" a female voice asked behind him.

Then there was her; ElectroJinx. Initially, she'd been his first choice as an apprentice. Now Slade had his eye on the other. "Hummingbird has gone. Now, be a good girl and bring me Eclipse."

* * *

His hair was in his eyes again. Pretty soon he would have to cut it. Eclipse was lost in his music, not really thinking about anything in particular. With each change of song, his thoughts changed. He didn't hear the knock at first; in fact, it wasn't until EJ was banging on his door that he snapped out of his trance.

He got up and opened the door, greeted by an annoyed-looking blonde. "Slade wants you," she said monotonously.

Eclipse nodded. He'd learned it was best to just do as Slade said. He walked out of his room, leaving his music running without thinking about it, and down the hall. Slade was in the main hall, leaning against the banister. "You called, sir?"

The man looked up at Eclipse. "Yes. I want to extend an offer to you. Come down here, boy." Eclipse walked down the stairs calmly, successfully hiding his panic. As he approached Slade, the older man put a hand on his shoulder. "You have shown me that you have potential, boy. I have decided to take you on as an apprentice."

"Apprentice, sir?"

"You will be my underling; I will train you to become the perfect killer. And, dear boy, you don't really get a choice…"

"Well then… I suppose… that I accept…"

"Smart words."

* * *

What was it about these workers that put him on edge? With them around, Beast Boy could hardly think of anything else. All he could do was keep an eye on them. Sure, they worked fast… but there was something off about them. He was so deep in thought that he hardly noticed when he bumped into something. Looking down, he corrected himself; _some_**_one_**_._

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you, Jessie," he apologized.

The redhead shrugged. "It's my fault, actually. I stepped out of the shadow and in front of you."

Beast Boy blinked at her. "You stepped out of the… shadow?"

"Well… yeah. Everyone in my family can do it. Didn't you know that? I mean, you lived with Rae-Rae for so long…"

His heart skipped a beat at the mention of Raven's name. Jessie raised an eyebrow at him; she'd noticed the skipped beat. "Right… I knew that Raven could. You and Dove are, well, a mystery to all of us, though. Raven never even mentioned having siblings."

"I don't doubt that. Rae-Rae never really liked talking about us."

Beast Boy snorted a little – it was true that Raven didn't seem the family type – before his ears twitched; there was the sound of two set of footsteps coming their way. He gave Jessie a look, then turned into a fly. The redhead understood that she should hide and slid back into the shadows.

"Friend Robin "

"Nightwing," came the sharp correction.

"Er… right… friend Nightwing…" Starfire continued. "I was wondering if you and I might go see a movie? It has been a long time since we went out and did the dating." The Tamaranian sounded very unsure of herself.

Nightwing sighed. "Starfire, we broke up. That means we don't go on dates. We don't go see movies just the two of us."

"Does that mean we could not get back together?"

"That's exactly what it means."

Starfire stopped walking. "I see," was all she said before she turned around and went back the way she had come. Nightwing shook his head and continued walking.

When he rounded the corner, Beast Boy returned to his human shape and Jessie came out of the shadows. They looked at each other, Beast Boy with an expression of concern, and Jessie with a slight smile on her lips.


	13. Help Wanted

Nightwing grimaced as he scanned for his enemy. 'She's around here somewhere…'

No sooner had he thought it than something red rammed into his side, knocking him to the ground. His enemy stood over him, and he looked up at her. Jessie was holding back laughter, but a smirk was clear as day on her lips. 'I can't believe I let her slip past my defenses.'

Jessie offered him a hand. "Not used to fighting against powers anymore, are you?"

He took her hand, allowing her to help him to his feet. "Where I was we simply had petty thefts and the like. Even in Gotham and Arkham, most of the villains' 'powers' were some form of illegal substance that enhanced them." When he paused, she raised an eyebrow, expecting him to finish that comment. Clearly, she'd done her homework on _those_ people as well. "Aside from the rarities, of course."

Jessie rolled her eyes, smirk faltering into a small smile. The pair had been sparring and hanging out for the past few days. Honestly, Nightwing was rather enjoying himself. Training with Jessie was helping him strengthen his senses. What she was gaining, though, was a mystery to him.

They paused at the sound of footsteps, and looked over to the door to see Blue Rose standing in the doorway. She didn't look very happy.

Nightwing looked at Jessie as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, Nightwing, I'll see you around," she murmured as she left the room, leaving him alone with Blue Rose.

Blue Rose's eyes followed her, and when she seemed certain that the woman was out of ear-shot, she returned her gaze to Nightwing.

"Was there something you needed?" he asked. He almost seemed like… like he was upset that she'd interrupted his time with Jessie.

"I don't like her," she said bluntly. "I don't _trust_ her."

There was a slight movement on Nightwing's face, one that seemed annoyed. "That's not really your call to make," he responded. He changed the subject. "Did we have a training session today? Now would be a good time for that. Go warm up."

Blue Rose nodded, going to the back wall to stretch.

* * *

Terra stood in her room, admiring the dress that Damion had bought for her. She did have to admit that, although the darker one was more womanly, this one fit her better, and not simply in fit. It went well with her eyes, played nicely with her tanned skin.

She was pulled from her admiration by a knocking on her door. "Just a moment," she called, putting the dress back in her closet. She opened the door to see Starfire standing there. "Uh… Hi, Star."

"Friend Terra, I wish to have the girl talk," the Tamaranian announced.

Terra's eyebrows drew together, and then up, in a look of confusion. "Er… okay…" she agreed, moving aside to let the woman in.

Starfire entered Terra's room, not looking at the walls, the ceiling; she looked straight ahead, but wasn't really seeing anything about the room. In the theater of her mind, she saw Raven's sister, Jessie, spending so much time with Nightwing; emerging from the training room both with and without him, talking to him in the kitchen, watching some Earth show on the television. And Nightwing, _her _Nightwing, seemed to truly enjoy her presence.

Finally, Starfire spoke. "I am worried about the time that our friend Nightwing is spending with Jessie. Can we truly trust her?"

In her mind, Terra rolled her eyes. _That's _what Starfire wanted to talk about? Nightwing and Jessie? "I don't really see a problem with her. Beast Boy likes her. White likes her. Nightwing likes her. Raven doesn't even really seem to mind her that much anymore-" '_Though she has been holed up in her room a lot…_' she added to herself. "- I really don't think she's a problem, Star."

Starfire turned to her and gave the blonde a look of distress. "But what if-"

"Starfire, relax. I don't think there will be any problems from her. You trust Raven, don't you?"

That seemed to calm Starfire, at least a little bit.

* * *

It wasn't very sunny out. Dove didn't like that. She loved the sun, loved the warmth it gave her pale skin, the feeling it gave her heart. Rain was nice and all, too, but firstly, it didn't match to the sun, and secondly, it wasn't raining. It was just… gray. The teen sighed.

Instead of focusing on the weather, Dove decided to look at the people passing her by. There were women with grocery bags heading to their car with squealing toddlers. Men in suits were walking, she assumed to work from their lunch or the other way around. Elderly people were smiling and laughing and talking at a table in a restaurant. As she neared the high school, Dove heard the sounds of teenagers in the courtyard. She paused to look at them; there were clusters of teens spread out amongst the courtyard, all eating and laughing and talking. All being… normal. Normal teens, with no responsibility passed homework and tests, possibly part time jobs. 'How lucky they are,' Dove thought to herself. She hadn't noticed that she'd stopped in the middle of the sidewalk until a solid body walked right into her.

The girl jumped back and stared at the male – seemingly around eighteen or nineteen. She blinked up at him. "Er… Sorry, I didn't realize I was blocking the walkway," she apologized. She was sure her eyes were full of shock. Not only had he bumped into someone, that someone was a girl, and that girl was wearing nothing but a green leotard that exposed part of her chest and a cloak.

"Hn. I shoulda been watching where I was going. Sorry. It's my fault," came his whispery response. Dove took a good look at him; he was good looking, in a punk-rock-ish kinda way. He had dark hair that was falling into his eyes, and gray eyes that seemed to never end. He wore a black hoodie with 'Chem' embroidered across the front, and black skinny jeans. The hood of his jacket was pulled over his head, hiding the rest of the features on his head from view.

"It's fine, really," was her response. "I'm Dove."

He shifted uncomfortably. "Names… mean nothing to me now."

'_Is he, like, suicidal_?' Dove thought, panicky, as he walked away from her. Before she knew it, he disappeared. Dove swallowed and decided to head back to the tower.

* * *

It was just becoming evening, though how she knew that from the fog that covered the entire sky, Jessie didn't know. She'd been hiding in the room assigned to her for most of the day after she left Nightwing, debating to herself. Finally, she'd made a decision. She left her room seeking out Nightwing.

He was in the living room, sitting on the new couch with Blue Rose. 'He isn't alone…' she thought with dismay. She withheld her grimace and went over to him. She leaned against the back of the couch, just behind him, until he noticed her.

"Oh, hey, Jessie," he greeted, a slight smile taking over his lips. "Where ya been all day?"

Jessie smirked internally. He'd been wondering about her. "Oh, around." Her eyes flicked over to Blue Rose, then back to him. "Mind if I talk to you for a bit?"

There it was. Out in the open. All that was left was the wait for his response.

It seemed like an eternity, but Nightwing finally answered, slightly confused. "Yeah, sure." He stood, and she led the way down the hall, to the place they'd been this morning; the training room. Finally she stopped and turned to him.

"I have something very important to ask you."

Nightwing shifted on his feet a bit. He hated statements like that. They got him to agree to train his replacements. They got him to agree to dates. He answered, though, with, "Shoot."

Jessie's strange, beautiful eyes bore into him, seeming to search for something. Finally, she spoke. "I'm in trouble. I'm not strong, like Raven is. I never was able to… leave our father." There was a pause before she continued. "I've been hired by someone to spy on you and your team. At first I didn't really care, I was okay with it. I was getting benefits from it. But… now…"

"Now?" Nightwing pushed, encouraging her to continue. They had both crossed their arms at this point. Jessie had looked away from him. Her arms uncrossed, and she backed up, pressing her back to the nearby wall, palms flat against the cool texture. Nightwing shifted a fraction closer to her.

"Now I've decided against it. There's more to lose than to gain," was her quiet response. Her eyes snapped back to his face. "But… I don't know how to… just leave. I have a mission, and I have to check in with the leaders of this mission, or… or very bad things will happen. I need your help."

Nightwing swallowed, internally sighing from relief. This was an easy request. Well, easier than the other two options that had come to his mind. "I can help you. And here's what we're going to do."


End file.
